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The Buffalo Bills are gearing up to take on the Miami Dolphins on the road, and they’ve announced what they’ll look like when doing it.
The Buffalo Bills offense struggled in their 30-13 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
The Bills needed to bring in another wide receiver before the trade deadline, but they weren’t able to finalize any deals. Although it’s too late now to add any significant receiving talent to the roster, this is a position that Buffalo will need to address in the offseason.
Buffalo will be able to attack, adding another star receiver in a multitude of ways, but the best option could be through the NFL Draft, with all the receiving talent expected to be in the class.
Bills Predicted to Draft Makai Lemon
USA Today’s NFL reporter Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz released a mock draft on Wednesday , projecting that the Bills will select USC wide receiver Makai Lemon with the 23rd overall pick.
“Brandon Beane went fishing for Jaylen Waddle prior to the trade deadline, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, but ended up with the boot that is Buffalo’s current receiving corps,” Middlehurst-Schwartz wrote. “If Beane is prepared to admit some level of fault on this front after repeatedly pushing back on questions of the group’s composition, he could be drawn to Lemon. The 5-11, 195-pound target doesn’t have the physical make-up of the go-to option the Bills currently lack, but the Power Four leader in receiving yards (937) serves his quarterback by freeing himself up underneath and racking up yards after the catch.”
In nine games this season, Lemon has recorded 61 receptions for 937 yards and seven touchdowns, contributing to USC’s emergence as one of the top offenses in college football.
The Trojans are averaging 39.6 points per game, placing them fourth among all FBS college football teams.
The Athletic’s draft analyst, Dane Brugler, released his early top 50 players for the 2026 NFL Draft on Tuesday, and Lemon is listed as his No. 20 overall prospect.
“Lemon isn’t going to wow with his size/speed testing in the spring, but his feel for maneuvering through coverage and creating after the catch will make him a productive NFL receiver,” Brugler wrote.”Some will get caught up labeling him as a “slot-only” receiver, but most will see just a good football player.”
Buffalo Needs Another Playmaker for Josh Allen
If the Bills can bring in Lemon, he could emerge as a legitimate No. 1 option for quarterback Josh Allen. After trading star receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans last season, the Bills have been on the hunt for a standout playmaker. In the 2024 NFL Draft, they selected Florida State’s standout receiver, Keon Coleman, in the second round. However, through his first 22 games, he hasn’t lived up to the expectations, recording just 61 receptions for 886 yards and seven touchdowns.
Coleman’s performance has fallen short of the expectations set by head coach Sean McDermott this season.
“He knows if I’m not satisfied. It’s fair that you’re asking about,” McDermott said. “I can promise you it gets addressed when it isn’t (satisfactory) or where it needs to be. It’s been addressed at times, it’s been good, and other times it can improve.”
It will be interesting to see how the Bills approach the receiving position this offseason, as they will likely try to draft one in the first few rounds of the draft.
Danny Fisher Is a football journalist covering the Buffalo Bills for Heavy.com. He has covered the NFL for Gridiron Heroics, focusing on the AFC and Penn State football for Nittany Central. More about Danny Fisher
